In the 2014 home opener at Safeco Field, the Mariners bounced back from an early 3-0 deficit by plating four on a two-out rally in the third inning after Seattle shortstop Brad Miller made it to first on a third-strike wild pitch. First baseman Justin Smoak singled in a run and designated hitter Corey Hart sent the first of two home runs over the wall. His second longshot, in the bottom of the seventh, game Seattle an insurance run as the Mariners won their first home game 5-3.

After notching eight hits against the Angels on Tuesday, the Mariners could manage just one -- by leadoff hitter Abraham Almonte -- the next day against Los Angeles starter Garrett Richards (pictured) and the Halos bullpen. Albert Pujols' two-run homer against M's starter Roenis Elias was all the Angels needed to avoid a second sweep to Seattle.

Pitching among a sea of yellow shirts as Safeco Field held "Supreme Court" (pictured), M's starter Felix Hernandez struck out a whopping 11 batters in seven-plus innings, faltering only in the eighth when the Angels scored four runs off of Hernandez and the M's bullpen. Meanwhile, Seattle had a big day on offense with 12 hits, including home runs by catcher Mike Zunino and shortstop Brad Miller.

The A's jumped on M's starter Erasmo Ramirez early when third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a two-run shot, but Seattle answered in the bottom of the frame with singles by Almonte and Miller then an RBI groundout by Robinson Cano. But that was the only offense the M's could muster despite putting up seven hits, and Ramirez earned his second loss of the season thanks to another suspect outing on the mound.

Seattle's offense took another vacation Sunday when they were shut out by the A's to lose the series 1-2 and fall to a 6-5 overall record through the season's first 11 games. In his first start for Seattle, pitcher Chris Young gave up four hits and three walks in six innings, and it was reliever Charlie Furbush who allowed the winning two-run homer by Yoenis Cespedes in the top of the eighth. Donaldson hit another long bomb in the ninth.

The Mariners entered Tuesday's home opener riding a lot of momentum after their 4-2 season-starting road trip. In front of a sold-out Safeco Field, the M's did their part to build excitement for Seattle fans, with a tribute to the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks and an game full of offensive fireworks. Particularly with the addition of Cano (pictured), Seattle baseball felt more promising and exciting than it had in years. After all, the M's still finished the homestand with a winning record.

In Tuesday's home opener, M's starter James Paxton had to abruptly leave the game in the top of the sixth inning when he strained his left lat muscle. Paxton had been pitching a gem up to that point, retiring 14 Angels in a row before his final batter. The M's put him on the 15-day disabled list and Paxton is not expected to return to the mound for about a month. With fellow starters Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker also injured, Seattle's starting rotation is getting shakier and shakier. Righty Blake Beavan is expected to start this Tuesday in Texas after being called up from Triple-A to fill Paxton's roster spot.

What went wrong? In Tuesday's home opener, M's... Photo-6167226.83875 - seattlepi.com

Image 9 of 14

Player of the week

Felix Hernandez

In his third start of the season on Friday, Hernandez looked sharper than ever, fanning 11 batters and giving up just two runs at the end of his stint on the mound. Through three games Hernandez has 30 strikeouts and has earned just five runs. He has appeared confident with all of his pitches -- particularly his nasty changeup -- and has been making opposing hitters look silly. In Seattle, Felix is still King.

Player of the week Felix Hernandez In his third start of the... Photo-6167227.83875 - seattlepi.com

Image 10 of 14

Taboola Gallery Frame Item-85307.83875 - seattlepi.com

Image 11 of 14

Player of the weak

Justin Smoak

Last week, Smoak was our "player of the week"; this week, he's our "player of the weak." Why? Because after performing beautifully in the clean-up spot of Seattle's lineup through the first seven games, he put up zeros in all four of the M's last outings. We could have picked numerous players as our "player of the weak" -- Kyle Seager continued to struggle, as did Michael Saunders and Logan Morrison -- but Smoak's sudden offensive drought caused M's manager Lloyd McClendon to drop him to seventh in the lineup for Monday's first game in Texas. That demotion was enough for us.

Player of the weak Justin Smoak Last week, Smoak was our... Photo-6167228.83875 - seattlepi.com

Image 12 of 14

Where the compass is pointing

While many Mariners fans were concerned after the homestand that their team had lost its offensive firepower again -- particularly after Wednesday's one-hit outing and Sunday's three-hit affair -- Seattle did hit well in the home opener and with Hernandez on the mound. It's not time to panic -- not yet -- and the M's still had a winning record after the homestand. Occasional offensive and pitching struggles were expected of this 2014 ballclub; we'll see how quickly the M's can bounce back.

Where the compass is pointing While many Mariners fans were... Photo-6167229.83875 - seattlepi.com

Image 13 of 14

On the horizon

The M's next travel to Arlington, Texas, to take on the Rangers in a four-game series. Texas (6-6) added firepower in the offseason by signing slugger Prince Fielder (pictured) but is struggling when it comes to pitching, even going so far as to trade for righty Hector Noesi after the M's designated him for assignment. After Texas, the Mariners fly to Miami for a three-game series with the Marlins before returning home to Safeco Field on April 21 to host the Houston Astros.